Heating-furnace for coiled bundles.



Patented May 6, I902.

A. R. HUNT & W. AHLEN. HEATING FURNACE FOR COILED BUNDLES (Application filed .nm. 28, 1902, 0 Model.)

3 Sheets sheet I.

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Nu. 699,528. Patented May 6, I902.

A. R. HUNT & w. AHLEN.

HEATING FURNACE FDR COILED BUNDLES.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1902.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 699,528. Patented May 6, I902.

A. R. HUNT & W. AHLEN.

HEATING FURNACE FOR COILED BUNDLES.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1902.)

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(No Model) WITNESSES UNl'lED STATES PATENT OFFrcE. T

AZOR R. HUNT AND \VILLIAM AHLEN, OF DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HEATING-FURNACE FOR COILED BUNDLES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 699,528, dated May 6, 1902.

Application filed January 28, 1902- Serial No. 91,611. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, AZOR R. HUNT and WILLIAM AHLEN, of Duquesne, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and'useful Heating-Furnace for Coiled Bundles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying-drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of aheating-furnace constructed in accordance with ourinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse central section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section showing the feed-opening and cover. Fig. 4 is a top plan View showing a modified form of furnace, and Fig. 5 is a central vertical section of the form of Fig. 4.

Ourinvention relates to the heating of bundles of wire, rods, or bars which are in the form of reeled coils; and its object is to provide a continuous furnace in which the coils may be rapidly and economically heated and the heated coils drawn out either continuously or intermittently and fed to the machine operating upon it.

Heretofore manufacturers of rivets, bolts, and spikes, 850., have ordered their material in the form of straight rods of different lengths, as they were unable to heat coiled bundles, and as the end portion of each piece was wasted a considerable loss of material resulted, while handling of the straight lengths was laborious and awkward. Our invention overcomes these difliculties and provides a continuous heating-furnace in which the coiled bundles may be heated and then uncoiled and drawn out directly tothe machine without removing the bundle as a whole.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1, 2, and

3, in which we show the preferred form of.

our furnace, 2 represents the circular outer wall, and 3 the concentric inner wall of an annular furnace having an annular cover 4. We have shown the side walls as carried upon angles 5, supported upon posts or standards 6, with stay-bolts 7 connecting the inner and outer posts. The walls and roof are of refractory material, such as fire-brick, and the arched roof rests upon the side walls.

The bottom 8 of the furnace consists of an annular platform having inner and outer depending flanges 9, resting upon rollers 10 and 11, mounted on shafts 12. Annular Watertroughs 13 and 14 project from the edges of the f urnace-bottom,and downwardly-projecting flanges or plates 15 project into these troughs, and thus form an air-tight seal for the furnace-chamber. The rotatory bottom is provided with a series of rotatory disks or reels 16, mounted upon central spindles 17 and having annular ball bearings 18 between them and the bottom. The reels or disks are covered with refractory material, as shown, as are also the surrounding parts of the bottom.

The outlet or stack flue 19 is preferably located adjacent to a depending partition 20, which extends from the inner to the outer end of the furnace, and on the opposite side of the partition are gas and air inlets 21 and 22, and the flame and gases travel around the furnace to the outlet-flue, short-circuiting being prevented by the radial partition. This partition is centrally notched to allow passage of the projecting central portions of the reels, and this notch is provided with a depending hinged door 23 on the outlet-flue side. After the furnace bottom has been moved so that the boss of the reel passes the door this door immediately swings back into place by gravity and closes the partition. The furnace is provided with a suitable number of doors 24 in the outer side walls for inspection of the furnace and manipulation of the reels.

In order to distribute the flame evenly over the cross-section of the annular bottom, the inner side wall is preferablymade of less height than the outer wall, the roof being correspondingly inclined downwardly and in wardly. The center of cross-section area is thus changed to a point nearer the outerwall, thus distributing the flame towardthis outer wall and directing a greater portionof the radiated heat from the roof to the outer portions of the furnace-chamber. I

\Ve have shown the outlet-flue asformed in a removable cover-section 25, which may be lifted vertically by any suitable hoisting means, (indicated at 26, Fig. 3.) The coiled bundles are charged in through this opening.

To turn the furnace-bottom any suitable mechanical connections may be used, and we have shown for this purpose a pivotallymounted motive cylinder 27, whose piston-rod 28 is arranged to act against vertical angles 29, secured to the bottom frame. The motor is held in normal position by a spring 30.

When operating the furnace, each of the disks or reels is covered with one or more bundles of coiled material to be heated, surrounding the central boss or projection. During the heating of the coils the bundle at the discharging-point a is being drawn out either intermittently or continuously through a hole or slot in the door and fed into the rivet or bolt machines or other point of consumption. During this withdrawal the carrying disk or reel revolves to allow unwinding of the coils. When this coil has been drawn out, the furnace is turned to bring the next reel into this position, and the end of this next coil is then pulled out through this opening and'fed to the machine. At the same time the removable roof-section is removed and a cold bundle lowered upon the empty reel, which has passed the separating-partition. The removable roof-section is then replaced and the heating continued until the next coil is withdrawn, these operations going on continuously.

Instead of providing a large annular furnace-chamber through which the flame and gases pass through a circular path we may provide an open circular chamber through which the flame and gases pass transversely to the outlet. Thus in Figs. 4t and 5 Weshow a circular furnace-chamber having an outer wall 2 and acircular bottom 8, carried on a central spindle 31 and also mounted on a circular roller-bearing 32. The bottom is pro- I vided with an outer sealing-trough 13, into which projects a circular plate 15. The reels or disks 16, of which We show three, are preferably mounted on spindles 17 and ball-bearings 18, as before. The roof t is provided with a removable cover 25 on the side adjacent to an outlet-flue 33, leading to a stack 34. The gas and air inlets 21 and 22 extend through the side walls on the side opposite to the outlet-flue. In this form the flame and gases circulate through the furnace-chamber and heat the coils, one of the coils being drawn out through door 35 while the other two are being heated. We have shown the cylinder 27 as arranged to rotate the bottom inter mittently, as before.

The advantages of our invention result from the heating-furnace for the coiled bundies, in which the bundles are supported by revoluble supports on a carrier allowing them to be fed out directly to the machine or point of use. The reeled bundles are more easily handled than rods and will be cheaper for the rolling-mills and for the users of the material. The operation is continuous, and as the gases pass in the opposite direction to that of rotation of the furnace the material passes from cooler into successively hotter zones, thus applying theheat in the best manner and economizing the fuel.

As there is only one waste end to each entire bundle, the loss is reduced and the continuous furnace increases the output of the machines to which the material passes.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the furnace, the bundlesupports, and the manner of operating wit out departing from our invention.

We claim 1. A continuous heating-furnace comprising a movable carrier, aset of revoluble bundle-supports mounted on the carrier, and a furnace-chamber throughwvhich the bundles pass; substantially as described.

2. A furnace-chamber having an endless carrier forming its bottom, means for moving the carrier, and a series of revoluble bundlesupports mounted on the carrier-bottom substantially as described.

3. A bundle-heating furnace of circular form, having a rotary bottom, and a coacting water-trough, bundle-supports revolubly mounted on said bottom and flange forming an air seal around the furnace; substantially as described.

4. A continuous heating-furnace for bundles, having an annular heating-chamber, a rotary bottom carrying revoluble bundle-carriers, and a partition extending transversely of the furnace-chamber and arranged to prevent short-circuiting of the gases; substantially as described.

5. A heating-furnace having a fuel-inlet and gaseous outlet, and a rotary bottom, revoluble bundle-carriers mounted on said bottom, a radially-extending partition between the fuel-inlet and the outlet for gases, and a door in said partition arranged to be actuated by the bundle-carriers, substantially as described.

6. Acontinuous heating-furnace having an annular furnace-chamber of smaller crosssectional area in its inner portions than in itsouterportions; substantiallyas described.

7. A continuous heating-furnace having an annular chamber with a rotary bottom, arranged to receive coils, and a roof which is inclined inwardly to contract the cross-sectional area of the inner part of the chamber; substantially as described. Y

8. A heating-furnace comprising a movable carrier, a set of revolubly-mounted bundle-supports on the carrier, and a furnacechamber through which the bundles pass, said chamber having an opening through which a heated bundle may be uncoiled and drawn; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

A. R. HUNT. WM. AIILEN. \Vitnesses:

EDWARD J. HAMILTON, JOHN J. UTECH. 

